Enrollment
478
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 220002301921
Southern University Lab School — Baton Rouge, LA
Federal NCES profile for Southern University Lab School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 72
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Southern University Lab School · Louisiana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.2%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern University Lab School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Southern University Lab School reports 478 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% below the Louisiana state mean of 18.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% below the Louisiana average and 5% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 478 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Southern University Lab School spends $6,821 per pupil district-wide, below the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.6% from local sources (property taxes), 68.2% from the state, and 10.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Southern University Lab School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Louisiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Louisiana | Louisiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 24% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.2% | ▼ 21% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 478 | top 57% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
49.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% below the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 24% below state mean
Top 17% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$6,821
per pupil, district-wide
— below Louisiana avg of $17,870
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 478 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 53 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 478 Top 57% in Louisiana — larger than 43% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 -24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.2% -21% vs state
NCES ID 220002301921
Student demographics
African American 97.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.0%
Two or More 0.6%
White 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 97.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 478:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 53
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern University Lab School, which includes Southern University Lab School.
$6,821
Per student
-62%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-65%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.6%
State 68.2%
Federal 10.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 299
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar other schools in Baton Rouge
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
University View Academy Inc. (Frm La Connections)
Standard public school
3,725 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
Louisiana Virtual Charter Academy
Standard public school
2,239 students 28.3:1 students per teacher
Lsu Laboratory School
Standard public school
1,463 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Idea Bridge
Standard public school
1,122 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
South Baton Rouge Charter Academy
Standard public school
819 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Idea Innovation
Standard public school
797 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Southern University Lab School
How many students attend Southern University Lab School?
Southern University Lab School has 478 students enrolled. It is a other school in Baton Rouge, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern University Lab School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern University Lab School is 14.2:1, which is 24% lower than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southern University Lab School?
49.2% of students at Southern University Lab School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern University Lab School?
The largest demographic group at Southern University Lab School is African American at 97.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Baton Rouge, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern University Lab School?
Southern University Lab School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.